While checking my social media, I came across this amazing and empowering article about cancer fighter Amanda Ramirez on Latina. Initially, her beautiful face is what prompted me to read the article, then I read she was fighting cancer at the young age of 22.

Amanda’s story is captivating because she is not allowing her diagnosis of Stage 3 Hodgkin’s lymphoma to stop her from living her life. Not only is Amanda a cancer fighter she is also a body positive and beauty advocate.

In an interview with NBC news, Amanda reminisced on what it was like growing up as a bigger girl.

Amanda Ramirez stated, “I got bullied my whole life for being bigger and that didn’t do anything except for making me realize, ‘it’s okay to be who you are.

It took me so long to get to this point. When I had cancer, I said, ‘I’m not going to let this ruin all these years of allowing myself to love myself.”

We couldn’t have said it any better. With social media, its so easy for us to hate ourselves and to feel less than. People are being body shamed left and right. People are afraid to love themselves because they don’t look a certain way or have a certain body type.

Bigger women are always the target and the butt of jokes. It’s refreshing to hear a young woman in the fight of her life say that she’s going to spend her time loving herself.

Diversity is a huge issue when it comes to fashion and beauty. Amanda Ramirez uses her platform to stand up for women of color and fat acceptance. Amanda says:

“I’m very about women of color because we don’t get represented in the beauty industry or in the industry in general. And if we are, it’s because we’re lighter or we look a certain way.

The novelas we have, it’s always lighter girls with green eyes and blonde hair; it’s colorism at its finest,”

We need more positive messengers like Amanda utilizing their platforms to help others learn to love themselves. In one of her Instagram posts where she shuts down haters, Ramirez writes,

No I’m not what conventional beauty defines, but I exude confidence and that no one can deny. From my short neck, to my arm rolls, to my big belly and cellulite by my physical features I am not defined.

I am beautiful because I accept my flaws and try my best everyday, I’m beautiful because I’ve learned to love the skin I’m in. I’m beautiful because for every 100 negative comments I get I can still look in the mirror and feel validated within myself. Love who you are.